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Gauguin's glowing colours convey the exotic character of the Martinique landscape. His brushstrokes are visible, but fuse into flatter areas of colour. The composition is finely balanced and carefully structured. It is the finest of a series of landscape paintings Gauguin produced in Martinique in 1887. He had travelled there from Panama before ill health forced his return to France. Gauguin dreamed of escaping from urban 'civilization' to a tropical paradise where life was mysterious, sensuous and closer to nature. His plans materialised a few years later when, in 1891, he left for Tahiti.

Composition

The arrangement of different elements in a work of art.

Impressionism

An influential style of painting that originated in France in the 1870s with artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir and Alfred Sisley. They were interested in capturing the changing effects of light, frequently exploring this through landscape scenes painted in the open air.

Composition, Impressionism

Details

Acc. No.NG 2220

MediumOil on canvas

Size140.5cm x 114cm x 8.8cm

CreditPresented by Sir Alexander Maitland in memory of his wife Rosalind 1960

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848 - 1903)

Gauguin's highly original paintings profoundly influenced modern art of the twentieth century. Now described as a 'Post-Impressionist', he was inspired to paint by Pissarro, but developed a symbolic style, using colour to express meaning. Traditions in western art and cultures outside Europe influenced his work. Gauguin's taste for travel and new experiences began when, as a child, he left Paris for Peru. In 1883 he abandoned stockbroking to dedicate himself to painting full-time. He painted in Brittany, and in Provence with Van Gogh. Gauguin travelled to Panama and Martinique and settled in Tahiti for several years. He died on the remote Marchese Islands.